1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for inspecting a nano-imprint template.
2. Description of the Related Art
With recent miniaturization of nano-imprint templates, demands have arisen for a method for inspecting templates with high accuracy. Where an optical inspection method is considered as such a method for inspecting templates, inspection resolution is limited by a diffraction limit, and sufficiently smaller defects than wavelengths are therefore difficult to detect.
A technique for enclosing light within a region smaller than a wavelength thereof has been proposed as a method for detecting defects in a semiconductor device comprising a minite pattern (for example, see Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2000-164663). According to the method described in this publication, electron-hole pairs are generated, and photoexcitation is observed. For a nano-imprint template made of a non-conductive material which does not allow an electric current to flow, however, defects are difficult to detect depending on changes in a minute electric current.
Thus, a method capable of accurately inspecting a template comprising a micro pattern is said to have not been actually proposed yet.